State Registries of the Early Care and Education Workforce

State Registries of the Early Care and Education Workforce: A Review of Current Models and Options for California

Over the last fifteen years, a great deal of discussion and experimentation has been directed toward increasing the education and training of teachers and providers who work with young children. During this period, the term "registry" has become a catchall phrase for various vehicles that states are using to build more coherent professional development systems for the early care and education (ECE) field.

In California, the current focus on creating a publicly funded Preschool For All system for three and four-year-old children is bringing renewed attention to ECE professional development, given the likelihood of increased educational requirements for preschool teachers. The foremost challenges include tracking the educational status and needs of the state's current ECE workforce; identifying the needs of the state's higher education system to develop and expand programs for ECE students; promoting access to education and training through a variety of student supports; and maintaining and increasing the cultural and linguistic diversity of the ECE workforce.

More than 20 states now have some form of ECE workforce registry, varying widely in purpose and structure, and registry planning is underway in at least four other states - Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky and Texas. California already has in place several of the functions that registries perform in other states, but some planners and policy makers are now considering a broader or more comprehensive registry system.

This policy brief presents the results of a recent nationwide survey of ECE workforce registries, brief profiles of registries in nine states, an analysis of the registry-type functions that California already has in place, and recommendations for future efforts.